>>535251421
I know this is someone from the lore team scrambling for ideas but I'll bite, next tme pay me.
>8-bit games
Just put every single one of them on a separate timeline and say that the Classic Sonic from Sonic Forces is from those games. If you're bold enough, include Unleashed Wii/mobile / Colors DS / Lost World 3DS as the post-Forces "future" of that particular timeline.
>Sonic the Fighters
8th Chaos Emerald is either green shrunken Master Emerald or possibly a prototype of Tails' yellow fake.
>Metal Sonic problem
Retcon Metal Sonic's state at the start of Episode Metal as post-Mania instead of post-CD. He was stuck on Little Planet since Mania Encore which is post-Mania Adventures, simple.
>Chaotix
Neither manual is fully canon. If you need to mention it, say the Chaotix gang investigated Eggman under the name Robotnik, that way Charmy's puzzlement makes sense (even though it doesn't make sense within Heroes since they have wanted badnik posters in their office).
Switch Forces and TSR back because there is absolutely no reason to switch them in the first place.